File image of Afghanistan cricket team.© BCCI/Sportzpics
The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) confirmed on Saturday that their men's team will play a one-off Test match against New Zealand from September 9–13 in Greater Noida. This will be the first time that Afghanistan will play a Test match against New Zealand, with the fixture becoming the side's third game in the longer format this year. Afghanistan has previously won three Test matches, each against Ireland (2019), Bangladesh (2019), and Zimbabwe (2021). “We are delighted to host a quality New Zealand Test team for the first time in our cricketing history. This is a testament to the hard work we have put in through numerous discussions and meetings with different boards on the sidelines of the various ICC Board Meetings.”
“The Black Caps are an outstanding all-format team in world cricket, and we hope to reach an agreement with New Zealand Cricket for white-ball bilateral matches in the future,” said ACB Chairman Mirwais Ashraf.
The match will also mark Afghanistan's return to playing international cricket at the Greater Noida Sports Complex Ground, which is one of the allocated venues for Afghanistan's home games, following a mutual agreement between ACB and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
New Zealand are set to arrive in Greater Noida on September 5 for a three-day conditioning camp ahead of the one-off Test match. New Zealand are also scheduled to play three Tests against India, starting on October 16 in Bengaluru, followed by matches in Pune and Mumbai respectively.
Meanwhile, Afghanistan will head to New Delhi in late August for a one-week-long training and preparation camp. In their two Tests played this year, Afghanistan have lost to Sri Lanka and Ireland, with their last win in the longer format coming in 2021 over Zimbabwe at Abu Dhabi.